Thinking about installing kitchen shelves instead of cabinets? When designed and maintained properly, open shelving in kitchen is a good idea. Compared to closed cupboards, the open shelving makes the space lighter and more open.
In addition to that, because of their exposed nature, you will become more mindful and deliberate about your belongings and the contents that go there.
Modern open shelving kitchen would give you a great opportunity to display your favorite dishes or decor items and use your creativity to style them in a beautiful way: be intentional about the color scheme and style of the items. It gives more personality to the space.
Despite the arguments about dust and grease collecting on open shelves, open shelving is still a practical idea: it keeps all of the items easily accessible compared to cabinets. Keep in mind not to go overboard with it and plan closed cabinetry as well. You need to hide away those plastic containers and snacks somewhere.
There are some nuances that should not be overlooked while deciding whether or not open shelves are the right idea for your kitchen. Let’s discuss why you might or might not want to install open shelves in your space.
There are two main considerations: practicality and aesthetics.
Why do people have open shelves?
Open shelving is a great way to diversify storage in the kitchen. Closed cupboards are great, but when the whole kitchen consists of them, the space might look too heavy, closed, and grumpy. Introducing open shelves in the kitchen is one of the ways to go to make your kitchen look lighter and brighter, especially if you have a small space.
Changing just one side of a galley kitchen cupboard to open shelving will make a huge difference, and you still get to keep part of your closed storage.
Open shelves look more modern and welcoming. When your friends or family members visit you, it’s easier to just grab a cup from the shelf and get yourself a coffee instead of opening the door of the cupboard, realizing that the mugs are stored elsewhere, closing it, and opening another one.
Open shelves make you become more organized: when there is no place to hide, you get rid of items that you no longer use and the whole kitchen becomes more mindful, intentional, and stylish.
Open shelves are more accessible storage options: do you remember that awkward corner upper cabinet that was completely useless due to unreachability? Well, you can easily solve it by switching that cabinet to an open shelf.
Do people like open shelves?
The topic of open shelving divides people into two groups: those who love it and those who like the aesthetics of open shelving but consider it impractical.
Most people agree that open shelving makes the space look more light, bright, and stylish, at least on those Instagram pictures. The reality is that our lives do not look like Instagram images: we can’t apply those filters, minimalism is not for everyone, and our everyday items are messier than what we see in staged images.
Another argument that I see often in conversations and comments on social media is that the open shelve items get dusty and greasy, and need regular maintenance. Despite all of the arguments about impracticality, most people like strategically placed open shelves that are styled properly and do not look cluttered.
In addition to aesthetics, people tend to like open shelves due to the price: they are much less expensive than closed cabinetry. However, the same blessing might become a curse: open shelving might decrease the resale potential of your house if all the kitchen storage consists of them.
Are floating shelves still in style?
Open shelves have been and still are in style. Many world-famous interior designers use this design element to make kitchens lighter, brighter, and chic. In addition to famous interior design masters, open shelving is a DIY trend.
The amount of open shelving vs closed cabinetry differs project by project, depending on the client’s needs, but floating shelving is definitely something that is going to be in style in the future too.
The reason is simple: the concept allows to the addition of character to the kitchen design by displaying the users’ items. The items must practical and functional, but also beautiful and display-worthy.
Is open shelving practical in a kitchen?
In terms of easiness to access and having frequently used items displayed, yes, open shelving is very practical. When the kitchen space is super small, then honestly, you don’t really have many options: you have to go for open shelves so that the space does not feel claustrophobic.
However, going overboard with open shelving is not for everyone. In fact, if you are not a real minimalist or if you don’t have all of your kitchen items carefully curated, switching all of the cupboards to open shelves might not be a good idea.
For most of us, the open shelving in the kitchen to be practical, we need to find a good balance between open vs closed storage options.
In addition to finding a good balance, consider putting frequently used items that look good on a display. This will enhance the practicality in two ways: you will have those items readily accessible, and they won’t get dusty because you clean them after every use anyway.
Is open shelving cheaper than cabinets?
Yes, generally speaking, open shelving is cheaper than upper cabinetry. You are saving money in two ways: the cabinet box material, cabinet doors, and hardware. However, installing only open shelving along the whole wall might affect the resale value of your house.
There are different options, including IKEA kitchen open shelving units. You can get a 190×26 cm floating open shelf from IKEA for as cheap as 23$ and
And you can get a small spice rack for as cheap as 5 dollars.
Do open kitchen shelves get dusty?
Open shelves are exposed to everything that’s in the air, including dust. Therefore, yes, open shelves get dusty more easily than closed cabinetry. That’s why they need regular cleaning.
Having items that you use frequently is going to work better than just displaying cute decor pieces. This way, you will clean those items on a daily basis and while they are in a dishwasher, you can quickly wipe the dust from the shelves as well.
You might want to absolutely stick to closed cabinetry in two cases: if you tend to cook meals in a way that creates a lot of grease, or if you have pets. The fur tends to float upwards in the air. The last thing you want to see on your bowl is a bunch of cat fur.
Do open shelves get greasy?
If you cook meals that produce a lot of grease in the air, then the open shelves are going to collect that on themselves. Having a good extractor will help significantly.
Having the everyday use items on the open shelves is a great strategy too: this way you will clean them often and they won’t get greasy and nasty.
How to arrange open shelves in the kitchen
Once you made up your mind that yes, open shelving is absolutely what you want, the next question is how to design and arrange them.
The degree of “openness” depends on what you already have and what items you will have.
The key here is to keep a good balance. I, as a designer, suggest opening up only part of the kitchen storage. To make a proper decision, consider these things:
- do my dishes look good enough to be displayed on an open shelf? Is the quality good enough, and is the color scheme consistent? if the answer is yes – great, you can open up as much of your storage as you want. If now – move to the next question.
- Am I financially ready and willing to purchase items to fill up my new open shelves? if yes, great – you can convert as many cupboards into open shelves, as you want, but keep in mind those items, which are still perfectly functional, and you are not willing to throw away. You will still need some closed storage for that non-sexy functional clutter that is so necessary for most ordinary human beings.
- Am I a neat person? or am I the one who prefers just to unload the dishwasher and stuff dishware behind the cabinet doors? chances are, your personality is not going to change overnight.
A good rule of thumb is to place items that you use daily basis AND look good on an open shelf. The rest goes behind the door. This way you will have all of the frequently used items within arm’s reach, and your guests will see them too without having to check all of the cabinets.
In addition to that, those daily used items get washed frequently, so they do not collect dust and grease on the surface.
Once you have an idea of how much open vs closed space you’re going for, the next step is to actually design the disposition.
How to design kitchen open shelving (What types of open shelves are there?)
There are several different options of open shelving layout: corner, straight line, on the window, and at the end of the cabinetry, small or large pocket shelves.
They can be positioned on one or both sides of the range, or above the sink.
Open shelves in kitchen can even take the whole wall instead of just the part above base cabinets.
Designwise, open shelves can be those straight horizontal planks mounted on the wall, or they can have a back and sides as well.
One of the most popular designs is floating kitchen shelves. They do not necessarily have to be wood, but open shelving can take on many different forms.
Other than floating shelves, visible supports under the shelving can become a characteristic design element.
You can achieve a built-in floating shelf look by removing cabinet doors. For a more custom look, you can add wallpaper or textiles at the back, or add a metal railing at the front.
Another lovely design is the French Bistro Shelving.
What size should kitchen shelves be?
How deep should kitchen open shelves be?
10-12 inches or 25-30 centimeters. There are kitchen open shelves that are 4 inches in depth, but those are only for decorative items or cups. In order to put plates on the shelf, you need at least 25 centimeters (10 inches).
How long should open shelves be?
The length depends on you, and ranges from small – for displaying small ceramic objects, indoor plants, possibly small cookbooks – to long ones for hosting cookware.
but don’t forget to fix the shelf with proper support.
The maximum distance between supports, i.e. span, differs per material: glass, wood, or metal.
Wood material requirements for span length also differ from Plywood vs Lamber. If the shelf is thicker, then support spacing can be longer. For example, if your shelf material is a 5/8-inch (1.6cm) particleboard you will need support in every 24 inches (60cm). If the shelf material is 3/4-inch (2cm) particleboard then the support span can be 28 inches (70cm).
Here is an in-depth guide for different materials and their support requirements.
How high should open shelves be?
If you are placing several layers of open shelves, make sure the distance of the lowest one is about 45-60cm from the countertop. The distance between shelves itself should be at least 30cm, but 35-40 would be a better spacing.
The sizing differs, but the point here is that the shelves that host the everyday items, need to be accessible, especially if the person using the kitchen the most is petite.
The shelf that is dedicated to decorative items can be placed higher, as you don’t need to access it every day.
How do you make open kitchen shelves look good?
Open shelves will look great if you take into account basic design principles.
Choose a theme to decorate the open shelves. This can be a color scheme or a theme, such as boho, for instance. The style can be achieved through decor elements or dishes/cookware. If you don’t have all of the items in the same color, group those together which are the same color.
How to style open kitchen shelves?
Create layers. This works much better than lining up all of your items in a single row. Even though shelves are not as deep as kitchen cabinets, you can still try to achieve different layers. Try to monochrome or stick to 3 colors and textures at maximum – this way the shelf will look curated instead of randomly cluttered.
A well-established easy way is to go completely white and transparent: all of your dishwares is either white or made of glass. This might sound boring, but it is effortless, timeless, and works just fine.
However, if you are craving some color, adding some accents would make the design more alive and inviting. A pop-up of copper is a great strategy. It looks authentic, gives character, and adds color to the white space.
If your open shelf is mainly decorative, why not layer artwork and beautiful glassware or stoneware items? The style and character of the artwork should be well-curated with the overall look of your space. Adding hooks to host pans or other kitchen items will add even more character to your kitchen.
Adding greenery as part of the decoration is a great way to make the space more alive.
kitchen open shelving alternatives
After carefully considering the pros and cons of open shelving, you might realize that it’s not for you. But you still want to display your cute dishware!
Don’t worry: there are great alternatives to open shelving in the kitchen. My absolute favorite is upper glass cabinets.
You get the benefits of open shelving while keeping your items free from dust and grease. Now, how does that sound?
As for open shelving, the glass cabinets also vary in style. More traditional-looking kitchens opt for traditional-looking glass cabinets, probably adding some sort of molding at the top.
Recently the cabinets that go from the worktop way up to the ceiling become more and more trendy. Instead of a solid wood door, why not install a glass door on them?
The glass door can be a rotating or sliding one. Both work great: keep your cute cups clean and fresh while visually exposing them.
Conclusion
Open shelves in the kitchen are still trendy and the way to go for small spaces. Despite the arguments regarding practicality, open shelving remains a go-to design trick to make kitchen space lighter, brighter and larger. However, there are several considerations and suggestions discussed in this post: try to keep a good balance of open and closed storage options. When going for open shelving, try to display everyday or frequently used items there – this way dust and grease will not find a home on the open surfaces. Having a good extractor helps significantly as well.
Styling open shelving is a lot of fun. If you want to play it safe, go all-white. Otherwise, choose a color scheme, and a theme to curate the display.
